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Glite Dictionary
to keep a low profile

to keep a low profile

36 3.9
Act quietly so people do not notice you
  • idiom
translation icon : pasar desapercibido
  • To avoid unnecessary attention from the media, the celebrity chose to keep a low profile during the event.
  • try to keep a low profile

So I, of course, being me, couldn't keep a low profile.

Examples

Synonyms

to keep one's head down
vsto keep a low profile
41 6.3

Avoid getting noticed to stay out of trouble

is used more broadly to avoid being noticeable for any reason
to keep to oneself
vsto keep a low profile
27 5.4

To not tell others your thoughts or feelings

focuses on avoiding notice outwardly rather than being simply private
to lie low
vsto keep a low profile
  • Informal
14 5.6

To stay out of sight to avoid trouble

focuses on acting quietly without necessarily hiding physically
to fly under the radar
vsto keep a low profile
  • Informal
9 5.9

To avoid being noticed by other people

is about deliberate low visibility rather than specific blending tactics
to slip under the radar
vsto keep a low profile
  • Informal
1 6.3

To go unnoticed by people or officials

implies a deliberate choice to avoid attention rather than accidental invisibility

Antonyms

to draw attention
71 2.5

To make people notice something or someone

How Noticeable

to keep a low profile
36 3.9
to lie low
  • Informal
14 5.6
to fly under the radar
  • Informal
9 5.9

Surface Forms

keep a low profile infinitive

Morphology

keep + a + low + profile

The meaning is directly compositional: 'keep' (maintain) + 'low' (reduced) + 'profile' (level of public attention) yields 'maintain a reduced level of attention'. This logic is cross-linguistically common (e.g. Spanish mantener un perfil bajo, French garder un profil bas), so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would very likely infer the intended meaning.

Etymology

The idiom keep a low profile comes from the idea of making your profile, the shape people see, low, like ducking down or staying in the shadows. So it means 'to avoid attracting attention'.